Mississippian Culture (Cahokia)

Do you feel the soft green grass under your feet. Can you hear the little birds singing in the big blue sky. I am a place of big, gentle hills. The sun warms my shoulders, and a long river flows nearby like a shiny ribbon. People come to run and play on my slopes. They laugh and roll down my sides. It feels so nice. My name is Cahokia, and I was once a big, busy city full of happy families. I have a wonderful story to share with you.

I was built a long, long time ago, around the year 1100. Clever people called the Mississippians made me. They did not have big trucks or machines. They used baskets. Yes, baskets. They filled their baskets with earth, scoop by scoop. They carried the baskets and piled the earth high, high, high. They made my big hills, which are called mounds. It was like building giant sandcastles that never wash away. In the middle of my city was a big, flat field where children played games and everyone danced at festivals. On my tallest mound, the leader had a special house to watch over everyone. I loved hearing the sounds of drumming and singing. I was a happy city full of friends and families.

After many, many sunny days and starry nights, the people moved away to new homes. My city became very quiet. The happy sounds of playing and singing faded away. Green grass grew all over my mounds, like a soft, cozy blanket. But I am still here. My big mounds hold all the wonderful stories of the people who lived here. Today, families come to visit me. Children climb my tallest hill and look at the world. They imagine the busy city I once was. I am here to remind you that even quiet places have amazing stories to tell.